Caltech. Cal State Dominguez Hills. Teacher of the month. Torrance.
Cole Tomas Allen, the man arrested Saturday, April 25, in the shooting at the White House correspondents’ dinner, appears to have left a trail through Southern California higher education on his alleged path to Washington, D.C.
That trail, according to interviews and social media posts, shows a 31-year-old, highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer from Torrance who studied at one of the most elite learning institutions in the world, Caltech.
A May 2025 profile photo of Allen appears to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted Saturday night by President Donald Trump.
The LinkedIn photo shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master’s degree in computer science from California State University-Dominguez Hills.
Allen apparently earned a bachelor’s degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena and listed his involvement there in a Christian student fellowship and a campus group that battled with Nerf guns.
Bin Tang, a computer science professor at California State University-Dominguez Hills, told The Associated Press that Allen took a few of his classes before graduating.
“He was a very good student indeed, always sitting in the first row of my class, paying attention, and frequently emailing me with coursework questions,” Tang wrote in an email. “Soft spoken, very polite, a good fellow. I am very shocked to see the news.”
At Caltech on Sunday, April 26, news of the connection to the elite school circulated. Caltech officials said an undergraduate student by the name of Cole Allen did indeed graduate from the institution.
“Based on media reports, we are aware that federal authorities have identified a suspect by the name of Cole Allen in the April 25 shooting incident at the Washington Correspondents’ Dinner,” said a statement by Caltech spokesperson Robert Perkins. “We do not have details from the investigation to confirm that the suspect and our undergraduate alumnus are the same person.
“We unequivocally denounce this violent act and extend our concern and support to all those impacted by this incident,” he said. “Out of respect for the continuing investigation, we will not be commenting on specific details.”
KABC-TV interviewed Allen during his senior year at Caltech as part of a story about new technologies to help people as they age. He had developed a prototype for a new type of emergency brake for wheelchairs.
On his LinkedIn page, he linked to a 2016 story in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune on the 31st annual Mechanical Engineering 72 Design Competition at Caltech, which pitted five teams of five students and three robots against one another for the “Tridroid Cup” in a robot soccer tournament. His team, Blitzkreig Bots, won.
Allen contributed $25 to a Democratic Party political action committee in support of Kamala Harris for president in 2024, according to federal campaign finance records.
Allen’s online resume says he worked for the last six years at C2 Education, a company that offers admissions counseling and test preparation services to aspiring college students. A 2024 post on the company’s Facebook page listed Allen as the company’s teacher of the month.
Allen also posted that he had developed a video game for the Steam platform based on molecular chemistry. A post under Allen’s name said he was working to develop a new “top-down shooter” combat game set in outer space.
Soon after Allen was identified late Saturday, April 25, media and law enforcement began to congregate at the home where Allen is believed to have lived, nestled in a quiet Torrance neighborhood several blocks away from Carson Street and Carrillo Avenue.
By 9 p.m., a bank of cameras was facing the nondescript, two-story home. Several reporters knocked on the front door, but there was no answer and no signs of activity within the residence.
Crowds of neighbors gathered nearby in the on-and-off drizzly weather as a broadcast news helicopter hovered above. One neighbor — who did not want to provide their name — recalled seeing Allen riding around the neighborhood on a moped, which was still in front of the home on Saturday. And a young neighbor recalled trick-or-treating at the residence. But the neighbors knew little of Allen, and nearly all said they had never even met him.
Local police officers initially warned the crowd of reporters and residents — which had grown to what looked to be around 100 — to keep off the residential street and not wander onto private property, but they did allow everyone to congregate on the sidewalks near the home.
Then, shortly before 10 p.m., as agents wearing FBI jackets arrived, police cleared the crowd from the sidewalk. Fifteen minutes later, the officers closed off the block. A series of unmarked law enforcement vehicles arrived and were ushered by the local officers past the police tape and up to the residence.
At 11:15 p.m. Saturday, April 25, FBI agents appeared to be preparing to enter the home on typically quiet Gramercy Avenue in the 1900 block.
“Tonight, our community joins the nation in condemning the violent incident that occurred in Washington, D.C., during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner,” Mayor Chen said on Instagram. “We are grateful to the federal law enforcement officers and first responders whose swift actions helped prevent further harm, and we wish the injured agent a full recovery.
“We are aware of reports identifying the suspect as a resident of Torrance,” he said. “While that connection is deeply troubling, one individual’s alleged actions do not define our city or the values of the more-than-143,000 residents who call Torrance home. Torrance is a community built on respect, diversity, hard work and public safety.
“The city of Torrance stands firmly against political violence, extremism and acts of hatred in any form,” the mayor said. “We reject attempts to sow fear or division, whether here at home or anywhere in our country. … In moments like this, we are reminded that our shared values are stronger than the actions of any one person.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.